BANYAN is a mystery revolving around one essential question—what really happened on Clara Ann’s eighth birthday in 1908 which caused a cataclysmic shift in the lives of everyone involved? Like the serpentine roots of a Banyan tree, the mystery surrounding Gerald and Sayre Cuvier and their two children is sinuous and layered, drawing us into the depths of a mind confused, a mind lost in a bewildering interplay of memory and illusion. From 19th century Louisiana to tropical Florida at the turn of the century, to their insulation from the rock ‘n rolling 1950s, these beautiful, hopelessly doomed people will haunt you long after the reading. Susan Russo Anderson, author of the Serafina Florio mystery series, says, “At the heart of BANYAN is poetic meaning incapable of distillation. ” Customers rave: “…a beautifully written novel. I was unable to put this one down. Her characters were mesmerizing. ” “Drenched in atmosphere... spellbinding…” “BANYAN is an illusively haunting tale…a real page turner, an excellent, gripping and hypnotic story leaving the reader thirsting for her next novel. ” “Absolutely brilliant! This is truly one of the best short novels I have ever read. ” And again, from Susan Russo Anderson, “Sometimes the line between poetry and prose is thin. In the case of BANYAN, a novella by Cynthia A. Williams, it is gossamer. ”